Meals during Lent

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  As Catholics, our family will not be eating meat on Fridays until after Easter.   

Many Catholics enjoy going to fish frys, however, that is not the case around here.  My husband does not like fish of any sort, so we will be having meals at home on Friday nights.

Here are some ideas if you need any: 

Quiche-using only veggies and cheese (meal is on blog under Breakfast)

Potato Enchiladas- Posting this recipe later this week

Grilled Cheese

Cheese Pizza

Fettuccine Alfredo-meal is on blog under Pasta

Baked Potato Bar

Manicotti

Many other pasta dishes and meals...

Brown Sugar Pork Loin

Majority rules tonight...  Here is what we had!  My family loved it; I however, didn't care for it as much. It wasn't bad, just not a favorite...

Brown Sugar Pork Loin

 Rub Ingredients:

2 t salt

1/2 t black pepper

1 t ground cumin

1 t chili powder

1 t cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (2 1/2 lb. total)

2 TB olive oil

Glaze ingredients:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 TB finely chopped garlic

1 TB tabasco

Prepare pork:

Preheat oven to 350.  Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub.  Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat util just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total.  Leave pork in skillet.

Make glaze and roast pork:

Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat on top of each tenderloin.  Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140, about 25 minutes.  Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes.  (Temp will rise to about 155 while standing).

****If you do not care for cinnamon, this recipe is not for you!  However, if you do like cinnamon, you will love this recipe...

Next time I make this recipe, I think I am going to try a different rub.  The glaze is awesome.  Like I said, my family loved the rub, however, it has a strong cinnamon flavor...

Also, I like my pork at about 160, So I cooked mine about 35-40 minutes..  

We had this with mash potatoes, green beans, and rice.

Taking dinner to a friend

There is nothing better than coming home to dinner already made!  

Wither you just had a baby, sick, tired, busy, or just because, having dinner done is one of the best treats someone could do for me.  Therefore, I try to help my friends and family out when I can.  
I usually send:

•  a casserole~I like to send casseroles because they are easy to freeze if they need to keep it for another day.  I also send everything in a disposable dish because who wants to clean up during times like this.  
•  French/Italian bread or something that goes well with the main course like chips, tortillas, garlic bread
•  a veggie or fresh fruit (I usually send the veggies that can be steamed in the bag so they don't have to do much to get it ready and if they need to have the meal on another day they can)
• dessert

I try to keep everything simple...  I like to send the meal over to them earlier in the day or the night before.  I don't cook everything, in case they eat late or something comes up and they need it for another night.  This also gives them the option to freeze it...  

Here is my go to recipe for times like this: 

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Ready in: 1 hour    Servings:6

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

6 oz egg noodles

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

Salt to taste

Ground pepper to taste

1 cup crumbled buttery round crackers

½ cup butter

(I also add a cup of shredded cheese, whatever I have on hand)

1. Poach chicken in large pot of simmering water.  Cook until no longer pink in center, about 12 minutes.  Remove from pot and set aside.  Bring chicken cooking water to a boil and cook pasta in it.  Drain.  Cut chicken into small pieces and mix with noodles
2. In separate bowl, mix together mushroom soup, chicken soup, and sour cream, (and cheese).  Season with salt and pepper.  Gently stir together cream soups mixture with chicken mixture.  Place in a 2 quart baking dish.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan, and remove from heat.  Stir in crumbled crackers.  Top casserole with buttery crackers. 
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until heated through and browned on top. 

*****I do not do step 4 and leave a card on the top of the casserole with the instructions to finish the casserole on their own.  This way they can cook it that night or next or freeze for another day...  

This one is easy to do, but really any casserole is great to send.  Some others on my site that would work well too Spaghetti Pie or Chicken Enchiladas.